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L'autre Dumas Fiche pédagogique L'Autre Dumas Sortie prévue en salles 10 février 2010 Titre original : L'Autre Dumas Résumé les deux hommes, est une création du scénario. Film long métrage France 2009 À bord d'une petite goëlette qui Réalisation : Safy Nebbou longe la côte normande, Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870), Interprètes : Gérard Depardieu (Alexandre Dumas), Benoît Poel- bedaine impressionnante de bon voorde (Auguste Maquet), Mélanie vivant, hume avec délice les Thierry (Charlotte Desrives), Domi- embruns et énumère avec gour- nique Blanc (Céleste Scriwaneck), mandise les prochaines ripailles Catherine Mouchet (Caroline Ma- quet), Florence Pernel (Ida Ferrier qu'il va s'offrir, tandis que son Dumas), Michel Duchaussoy (le compagnon, Auguste Maquet, Sous-Préfet Crémieux), Roger vomit ses tripes par-dessus bord, Dumas (Monsieur de Saint-Omer), dans des eaux qui semblent etc. pourtant bien calmes. Scénario : Safy Nebbou et Gilles Taurand d'après la pièce de théâtre À Trouville où les deux hommes Signé Dumas de Cyril Gely et Eric sont descendus dans une au- Rouquette berge, une jolie blonde prend Portrait de Dumas par Etienne Carjat Musique : Hugues Tabar-Nouval Maquet pour Dumas, et il ne la contredit pas lorsqu’elle le re- Safy Nebbou et Gilles Taurand Production : Film Oblige, UGC garde avec une admiration Images, France 2 Cinéma, K2 (Do- ont assaisonné l'Histoire de pe- minique Janne) presque dévote. L'homme de tites histoires, d'appétits vigou- l'ombre prétend soudain être ce reux, de frustrations, d'élans Version originale française Dumas, épousant même ses brisés, d'amours et de sexe, pour prétendues convictions Durée : 1h45 créer un récit à la manière de républicaines, pour mieux Dumas, avec un souffle roma- Distribution : JMH Distributions séduire la belle. nesque et un second souffle S.A. politique. Si le duo Dumas-Maquet est bien Public concerné : Âge légal : 7 ans connu, les autres personnages le Nous vivons l’histoire d’une rela- Âge suggéré : 12 ans sont moins : Céleste Scriwaneck, tion passionnée, orageuse, entre la secrétaire et maîtresse (du deux êtres qui, à défaut de s'ai- moment) de Dumas ou Caroline mer, ne sont rien l'un sans Site de l'Organe cantonal (VD et Maquet, l'épouse de l'autre GE) de contrôle des films : l'autre. L'histoire vraie s'est ter- http://filmages.vd.ch/ Dumas. Charlotte, la jeune fille minée par un procès entre Du- qui fait exploser la rivalité entre mas et son nègre favori. Le film se termine par une réconciliation. Disciplines et thèmes concernés : Histoire : Les différents régimes du XIXe siècle en France, qui essayèrent de "terminer" la Révolution de 1789 (1789-1799 : Ière République; 1799- 1814 : Consulat et 1er Empire; 1814- 1830 : Restauration, Louis XVIII et Charles X; 1830-1848 : Monarchie de Juillet, Louis-Philippe; 1848-1852 : IIe République; 1852-1870 : Second Empire; 1871 : Commune de Paris; 1871-1939 : IIIe République); l'échec de l'insurrection républicaine de 1848; les "Trois Glorieuses" (27-28-29 juillet 1830) et la monarchie (constitution- nelle) de Juillet sous le règne du premier "Roi des Français" (et non plus "Roi de France"); les vagues révolutionnaires (démocratiques, nationalistes, sociales, etc.) du XIXe en France, dit "le siècle des révolu- tions"; vie de Louis Auguste Blanqui (1805-1881), dit "L'Enfermé" à cause des 37 ans passés en prison; ___________________________________________________ Littérature française : quelques écrivains "engagés" du XIXe siècle : Quelques repères biogra- Dumas jouissait dans les années Benjamin Constant (1867-1830), Victor Hugo (1802-1885), Alphonse phiques sur Dumas 1840 d'une popularité incompa- de Lamartine (1790-1869), Charles- Dumas, né en 1802, est un quar- rable, gagnait fort bien sa vie et François de Sainte-Beuve (1804- teron, petit-fils du Marquis An- aimait dépenser sans compter. Il 1869), Flora Tristan (1803-1844), toine-Alexandre Davy de la Pail- vilipendait autant qu'il produisait : François-René de Chateaubriand (1768-1848), George Sand (1804- leterie et d'une esclave noire de à foison. Entre deux romans, il 1876), Emile Zola (1840-1902), Jules Saint-Domingue, Marie-Céssette troussait abondamment, multi- Vallès (1832-1885), etc; Les deux Dumas. On sait que Dumas a pliant les enfants naturels dont il Dumas : Alexandre Dumas Père et revendiqué ses racines, quand ne se doutait probablement même Alexandre Dumas Fils : une produc- tion tentaculaire; l'art du roman histo- l'heure était à la République. Il pas de l'existence. rique : Walter Scott ou Alexandre peut se prévaloir d'une double Dumas ?; appartenance, qui fait de lui le Il n'a reconnu que deux "collabo- représentant parfait de la France rateurs" (alors qu'il s'en recense, Education aux citoyennetés : la liberté acquise avec la révolution de républicaine : il est issu de la selon les sources entre une demi- 1789 entraîne une multiplication de race des esclaves et des douzaine et une vingtaine) : Au- revendications, déceptions et troubles maîtres. guste Maquet et plus tard, Gas- au siècle suivant; pard de Cherville. Les succès les Géopolitique : exode rural et indus- Dumas s'est jeté dans le mouve- plus populaires de Dumas (une trialisation au XIXe siècle en France : ment révolutionnaire de 1830 par vingtaine de romans et une dou- la lente et douloureuse "républicani- antipathie pour les Bourbons, et zaine de pièces de théâtre) furent sation" d'une société en mutation; par goût de la médiatisation : il le fruit de la collaboration avec Histoire de l'art : l'orientalisme, est, somme toute, le fils du pre- Maquet. Après 1851, date de leur courant littéraire et artistique au XIXe mier général afro-antillais de la rupture, il y a apparemment dé- siècle; Révolution française ! Il se fa- clin. Maquet, de son côté, a tenté brique une conscience politique une carrière solitaire (il a signé Education aux médias : plus de 350 adaptations d'oeuvres de Dumas pour républicaine. Ce qui ne l'empêche seul une vingtaine d'œuvres), le cinéma et la télévision; pas de fréquenter les têtes cou- sans grand succès. Cqfd. ronnées, et même de se faire bâtir en 1847 un somptueux château Il est de notoriété publique, au- (dont le bal masqué du film nous jourd'hui, que Dumas n'a jamais donne une idée de la somptueuse écrit seul et qu'il avait des inauguration à laquelle furent con- "nègres". En cela, rappelons que viés plus de 600 invités). Dumas a cédé à une pratique littéraire qui était, en tout cas pour 2 le théâtre de son temps, davan- quet tombe amoureux fou, Dumas Sélection de films dans lesquels tage la règle que l'exception! Ses se sent une envie folle. Ni l'un ni apparaît le personnage d'Alexandre Dumas : détracteurs (Eugène de Mirecourt l'autre ne réussiront. Maquet, en en particulier) parleront de « litté- amoureux transi, loin d'être ridi- Mam'zelle Bonaparte, Maurice rature industrielle », de "Fabrique cule, est touchant, presque tra- Tourneur, France 1941 de romans", et de "négrier" qui gique. Dumas, molosse volup- La Symphonie Fantastique, Chris- tian-Jaque, France 1942 signe des livres écrits par tueux, pourrait être grotesque, il Pontcarral, Colonel d'Empire, Jean d'autres. On prête à Alexandre ne l'est pas, et se montre même Delannoy, France 1942 Dumas Fils cette définition : "Du- bon perdant. Le Secret de Monte-Cristo, Albert mas, un mulâtre qui a des Valentin, France 1948 Viva l'Italia, Roberto Rossellini, nègres!". Face à un Dumas immense, dé- Italie 1960 bordant de vitalité et totalement Tajemstvi Velikeho Vypraveve (Le égocentrique, il ne fait pas le secret d'un Grand Conteur), Karel Kachyna, URSS 1971 poids, et c'est le cas de le dire! Il La Dame aux Camélias, Mauro ne profite pas de son mensonge, Bolognini, France-Italie 1980 et, ironie du sort : il passe aux Alexandre Dumas, Erfundenes Leben, Gelebter Roman, von Holger aveux lors d'un bal costumé, où il Preuße, TV-Film, Allemagne 2002 vient en Mazarin, son épouse en L'autre Dumas, Safy Nebbou, Madame de Pompadour et Cé- France 2010 (Source : DUMONT Hervé, Encyclo- leste, la compagne de Dumas, en pédie du Film Historique, Partie IV, Commentaires : Catherine de Médicis : des per- le XIXe siècle, à paraître) Le scénario explore le rapport très sonnages qui tous apparaissent ambigu que le Maître entretient dans les romans de Dumas... Le Caricatures du tandem : avec son scribe clandestin, dont maître des lieux, déguisé en Ma- on sait qu'il est l'auteur unique de mamouchi (entre Gros Tsar et nombreux passages de romans Grand Turc), domine ses 600 aussi célèbres que Les trois invités dans une fête baignée de Mousquetaires ou encore Le l'orientalisme en vogue à Vicomte de Bragelonne (= L'homme au Masque de Fer). En l'époque. sondant le douloureux et intense rapport entre deux êtres complé- mentaires, les liens étranges qui les soudent, le cinéaste nous offre une réflexion sur la complexité de la création artistique. C'est une situation analogue à celle que vit un cascadeur ou un "double" ano- nyme s'exposant pour une star qui Dans le film, Dumas travaille si- seule est adulée et connue du Alexandre Dumas, par Edward An- public. C'est le drame de tous les multanément au Vicomte de court, 1867 anonymes qui prêtent leur talent à Bragelonne (paru en 1848), et à une personne publique. l'adaptation pour les planches du Comte de Monte-Cristo (paru en Safy Nebbou a imaginé plonger le 1945). Les mécanismes du travail tâcheron anonyme dans les affres en commun sont introduits : sur du mensonge et de la frustration, une ébauche de scénario, apporté parce qu'il goûte un jour, involon- par l'un ou par l'autre, les collabo- tairement, aux prémices des dé- rateurs élaborent, au cours d'une lices de la gloire. Mais il est telle- séance de travail, un plan, et rédi- ment complexé, tellement coincé, gent une première version.
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